[Princess]

I think there may have been a topic like this already but I couldn't find it.

Anyways yes this has been bugging me. I find it ridiculous that we are forced to learn a language we will never need or use just because its our 'national' language. Its stupid,like we don't have enough to be doing!

What do you think?

[XxShortyxX]

I use to learn Frence at school, however I never did it, I refused, why should anyone have to learn a langauge they are never going to use? How is learning Frence going to help me get a job? It's stupid, teeangers shouldn't be force to learn any langauge, actually they need to learn they own first lol.

[Stu]

Hit the nail on the head. Away with culture. Irish is a dead language. If we were to still speak Irish , we would be alienated from the rest of the world and its associated books , movies and entertainment.

Its absoloutely pathetic and stubborn by the government to keep forcing the language down our throats to satisfy the four people left in the country that still give a rats arse about its preservation.

[Arneldo]

It is ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong, I love Ireland. I'm proud to be Irish. But the Irish language is a waste of time. The government are trying to hold onto it for all it's worth. Nobody I know uses it, although I know it is used more commonly in the west of Ireland. It actually puts people at a major disadvantage because you need to know Irish to get into some collages in Ireland. It's a language that is not spoke in any other country around the world, and I think Irish children should learn a European language like French or German instead, and they should start learning it in primary school.

However, that will never happen. If not, then I really think it should be made optional.

[Captain.Remy]

I'm not Irish but I can understand why many people don't want to learn it if they think it's pointless.
In France, every big area has its language so in my college the regional language is optional and if you learn it, you can have extra points for your final exams. But nobody force us to learn it.

[bananarama]

I think an alternative language should be compulsory at school. (Perhps it is as I am a bit long in the tooth and may not be up to date )

However the student should be allowed to decide what language to learn. You never learn properly anything you are not interested in.....

Learning a language is an achievment and probably helps students to enjoy achieving achievments.....Good for the mind.

My only second language is "Jibberish" as you have probably noticed... Who cares I understand it....

[Billy]

There's an irish language ?

[Shaun]

Originally posted by Billy
There's an irish language ?

Yeah, Gaelic.

[Billy]

OH I thought that was scottish lol

[podge2007]

It should be compulsory up to Junior Cert but optional for the Leaving Cert. I wasn't great at Irish and because I had to do it for LC I missed out on being able to pick an extra subject I was better at, thereby reducing my chances of getting higher points to reach university. It is a dead language for most people and once they finish school they never need to speak, read or write it again so why should they have to do a LC exam in it? It is part of Irish culture and history but it should not dictate your chances of getting in to most universities and colleges in 21st century Ireland.

[natjake2504]

I think it should be an option any irish person - its like wales not everyone welsh person speak welsh!!!

[KKBL]

Originally posted by Shaun

Yeah, Gaelic.

no LOL gaelic is the first language spoke in Scotland.and irish is the first language spoke in irish but the irish went to Scotland and made a language called gaerlic thats very similar to irish.well i think...

[Princess]

The really bad thing is the way they teach us. They teach it to us as a 2nd lanuguage rather than a foriegn language. Most people I know are better at their European languages because they teach it like we don't speak it. Its very annoying having to do 2 languages because I struggle immensely with them and need to get a C3 in French which would be helped greatly if I didn't get it mixed up with Irish sometimes!

[KKBL]

Originally posted by Stu
Irish is a dead language

irish is definetly not dead.me and a few hundred thousand other students go to all-irish schools and speak irish everyday with no problem.theres a tv and radio channel all in irish.and on loads of regional english radio station that have seperate shows in irish for young people.i dobt theyd go to that trouble if the language was dead.i know loads of people who speak irish nearly 24/7 one of them being my dad and me(well kind-of)

[Jake!]

I'm not Irish, but I'd love to learn it. Seems difficult and I love tackling challenges. Tell me what its like please...

[Noel]

Well I have never been taught Irish, but some people in my school learn Irish and are doing it for GCSE, but they haven't been forced to, well they were in 1st to 3rd year but they can drop it now. It's not as popular as it was, but it's still used in society and the media today, like the radio and TV (TG4). I love watching Spongebob in Irish! lol. I think that a lot of people still value the language, and because there is a high number of these people, it is kept in the curriculum. It isn't dead, just faded.

[Lauren]

I'm half Irish so I don't really have much of a footing in this discussion since I live in England.
However, I think that it should be a choice. Personally if I did live in Ireland, I'd like the choice and I would take up learning Irish - yet others wouldn't. Making it compulsary would make people bitter about the language whereas given the choice - those who want to learn it, can.

[Captain.Remy]

Message original : Princess
The really bad thing is the way they teach us. They teach it to us as a 2nd lanuguage rather than a foriegn language. Most people I know are better at their European languages because they teach it like we don't speak it. Its very annoying having to do 2 languages because I struggle immensely with them and need to get a C3 in French which would be helped greatly if I didn't get it mixed up with Irish sometimes!

How can you mix irish and french ? Well I can understand because 60% of the english language is from the french one, and I think the irish language is not so different from the english one (I said I think lol).

[Arneldo]

Originally posted by CathalOS

irish is definetly not dead.me and a few hundred thousand other students go to all-irish schools and speak irish everyday with no problem.theres a tv and radio channel all in irish.and on loads of regional english radio station that have seperate shows in irish for young people.i dobt theyd go to that trouble if the language was dead.i know loads of people who speak irish nearly 24/7 one of them being my dad and me(well kind-of)

A few hundred thousand, at a push, compared to the other 5 million people who don't speak it. TG4 are a struggling channel, running off government funding. Spin 103.8 are dropping there Irish show due lack of listeners, they said on there lunch time discussion show that just over 1,500 people tuned in - and they came to the conclusion most of them were listening for the music and not for the Irish.

It's not dead yet - that life support machine is still running, and I think it's time they pulled the plug.

[KKBL]

Originally posted by Captain.Remy


and I think the irish language is not so different from the english one (I said I think lol).

its compltely different.in french theres alot of french words that sound very similar to that word in english.but its not like that in irish at all.

[Arneldo]

Originally posted by Captain.Remy

How can you mix irish and french ? Well I can understand because 60% of the english language is from the french one, and I think the irish language is not so different from the english one (I said I think lol).

Irish and English are extremely different, I can't see any similarities. Also, isn't French taken from the English language?

[Captain.Remy]

Message original : Arneldo

Irish and English are extremely different, I can't see any similarities. Also, isn't French taken from the English language?

Well I never heard the irish language but as Princess said she mixed both I thought there were similarities.

No that's the contrary, look at all the words who finish with "-tion": they are all from French. It's an exemple and I couldn't believe when my teacher told us "60%".

Also the German is from English too, it's a bad version of English like Haus (House in English), Hier (for Here).

[Tom]

Originally posted by Shaun

Yeah, Gaelic.

Gaelic is Scottish ...

I think Irish people should have to learn it. Its part of their heritage and if they are proud to be Irish, then they will want to learn it.

[Noel]

Most modern languages derive from Latin, so a lot of the words will sound the same. French takes a lot of words from the English language and so does English. Everyone borrows words from each other!

[Billy]

Originally posted by Tom_

Gaelic is Scottish ...

I think Irish people should have to learn it. Its part of their heritage and if they are proud to be Irish, then they will want to learn it.

Im proud to be scottish, but i cant be bothered leaningg aelic lol